Patronuses and Potions
by toomanyfandoms1598
Summary: When Hermione pesters Draco to cast a patronus, he does so, revealing his patronus animal. The entire school is surprised. Enter in one clumsy Neville Longbottom during potions, and you have a disaster in the making. Image not mine. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**My first Harry Potter fanfic. I don't think it will be very romantic, but it will have Dramione undertones. He might kiss her, but nothing more. It won't be focused on it.  
** **Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

There was no doubt that Draco was a smart boy. In fact, the only person in the entire school that could get grades that even compared were Hermione Granger's. She beat him by 2 points on one test. After that, Draco had decided she wasn't worth getting to know. His heart disagreed. He often found himself lingering on her and he thought of her more than he liked to admit. However, right now, he wanted nothing but to get as far away from her as possible. The reason? She was trying to teach him to form a Patronus.

"Come on Malfoy. I know it's hard, but at least try!" He shook his head. Hermione huffed in annoyance. About 36 of the 7th years had come back for their 8th year, their schooling interrupted by the war. Harry had come back, but Ron had decided not to. Ginny had come back as well. The only other Slytherins that had come back were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. As he turned his attention back to Hermione, she was once again, demonstrating the correct wand movements. When she saw Draco wasn't paying attention, she threw her hands up and marched away. She came back after a couple minutes.

"Why won't you _try?"_ She cried. Draco stiffened and turned away. Her expression immediately softened. She didn't know why, but Malfoy had changed after the war. He didn't rip on her every chance he got, and seemed a bit more closed off. She had watched him more carefully than normal, and saw a side of him she never imagined.

* * *

As the Head boy and Head girl, they talked and saw each other a lot. One of their duties, was to take care of a little first year Ravenclaw boy. His name was Austin McCall. He was a werewolf, having been bit while on a trip with his family when he was 9. Draco had been tasked with getting him in and out of the shrieking shack on full moons. He was gentle and kind on the way there, and sometimes carried him back when the poor boy was too sore to walk. She had seen the heartwarming scene while looking out her window. Ever since then, she tended to notice things not many others did. That's why she realized his mood had been off ever since the Patronus project had been mentioned.

* * *

Hermoine realized that it had been a minute of silence since she asked the question, and it hadn't been answered yet.

"Draco, you can tell me." He sighed in defeat. He brought up his wand and executed the spell with perfect accuracy.

 _"Expecto Patronum."_ A blue light zipped out of his wand, forming a huge Gray wolf with the ethereal glow. Her mind supplied random facts in her brain. The gray wolf is the largest currently living wolf. This one, was larger than an average extinct Dire Wolf. This one was almost 5 and a half feet long and looked like it was around 230 pounds. Her jaw dropped. The wolf danced around in the air, before disappearing back into his wand. Everyone was staring at the pair. Draco groaned and turned around, not wanting everyone to look at him. Hermione turned around and glared. The room immediately went back to normal.

"Draco, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know I could." That stopped her in her tracks.

"How could you not know that you could produce that strong of a Patronus?"

"I can only think of four happy memories, and I didn't think they were strong enough to produce a Patronus." (He didn't want to admit it, but he was also afraid it would be a ferret.) Her heart reached out to the man, but he grabbed his things and raced out before he could be confronted again.

* * *

 **VERY LONG LINE BREAK.  
**

* * *

That had been 2 months ago, and the two Heads had never mentioned it again. There had been a few rumors about it, but Hermione had quenched them with a withering glare in their direction. Hermione tried not to think about it, but how couldn't she? It was said that a Patronus represented your inner self. For example, her otter meant that she secretly liked to goof off and mess around. Which was true. Not all the pranks had been pulled by Peeves and The Weasley Twins. Harry's stag meant he was strong, but could be very gentle. So what did Draco's mean? She knew many people thought that it was because Draco had been a bloodthirsty death eater and would kill without a second thought. However, Hermione knew that there was another side to him. He was gentle, caring, and extremely protective. She thought that's why he conjured a wolf Patronus.

She shook her head. If she kept day dreaming, she'd be late to potions! She stood up and practically ran to the dungeons. She got there just in time and sat next to Draco. They had been partnered together for the entire year. Neville, despite blossoming into the attractive man he was, was still clumsy and downright adorable. They were making a potion that even Hermione hadn't even heard of with practically useless effects, but Neville still managed to mess it up.

Hermione didn't blame him, but she found her self as an otter, next to a monstrous Gray Wolf larger than the size of an extinct Dire Wolf. She didn't even know what happened. The potions professor sighed, being in the form of a skunk. Draco curled in a ball, trying to make himself appear smaller. It didn't work. He just succeeded in knocking over the table, getting some boiling potion on his back and paw. The wolf yipped and quickly licked the offending liquid off his paw, but couldn't reach his back. Hermione jumped on Draco's back and licked it off before she sat down. It took about 15 minutes for McGonagall, Madame Pomfry, and Professor Sprout to come running into the potion classroom. What they saw was every single person in the room transformed into some kind of animal.

" _W_ _hat_ happened here?" Neville, in the form of a meek lion cub, padded forward, small head hung in shame.

"Neville Longbottom! What happened?" When he tried to answer the headmistress, nothing but a small squeak of a roar came forth. Madame Pomfry inspected him, finding nothing wrong. Professor Sprout seemed to be thinking, reading the potion's name on the blackboard. The headmistress filed everyone out, having them stand in the hall and had Madame Pomfrey check everyone for injuries. They were all fine. Draco tried to say something, but it came out as a deep bark. Everyone turned to him. Draco gave what looked like the equivalent of an embarrassed smirk.

"Yes? Which 8th year are you?" Draco stood up and started to draw something on the floor, scratching it into the stones. it read:

 **MALFOY TURNED INTO PATRONUS**

Sprout jumped up.

"I know! The potion they were brewing can be confused with another, that changes magic-folk into their patronuses or their spirit animals. It seemed Mr. Longbottom stirred instead of shaking the potion. This, however, is not a simple potion to reverse, so they might have to stay in their animal forms for another week." This elicited shrieks of despair from the animals. Hermione jumped back onto Malfoy's head, and chattered in dismay.

* * *

Students were surprised, so say the least, when almost 40 animals came marching down the halls during passing periods to their next classrooms. When the largest wolf anyone had ever seen came into Advanced Transfiguration with an otter on it's back as well as two book bags, everyone stopped and stared. Professor McGonagall sighed and had them sit in their normal spots. The entire class burst into conversation, but were quickly silenced by the teacher's glare.

"Quiet! As some of you have heard, there was an accident about an hour and a half ago involving the 8th year potions class. They were all turned into their patronus animals and will be so for at least a week. Please help them out as very few have opposable thumbs. Miss Granger does, but Mr. Malfoy does not. They will need help with their class work. Now..." Draco stopped paying attention. He sat on the floor, head over the desk. Hermione stood perched on her chair, taking notes with her opposable thumbs, occasionally chittering in annoyance when it was hard to get the quill to move to form the correct letters. Draco looked to the 4th year sitting next to him. The girl was staring at him in fright. He cocked his head. She flinched. He sighed and sat his head on the desk. He'd get Hermione's notes.

Once the class was done, the 4th year rushed away, almost leaving her things. Draco grabbed his book bag with his mouth and Hermione jumped on his back. He grabbed her book bag too. There would be teeth marks in these. He looked at the clock at the wall. They would be late to their next class unless he hurried. Not used to his new form, he ran as fast as he could, and he was out the door almost before he could blink. Hermione had fallen off. She chittered angrily. He tried to say sorry. She got it, but wanted happy and jumped back on his back. She held on to his fur, and he raced off again.

As they ran through the halls, knocking over students, Hermione grinned. She would have said something in otter speak, but was too preoccupied with holding on. They raced through the halls at 40 miles an hour, and were in Care for Magical Creatures in no time. Hermione hopped off, swaying a bit as she ran to sit on the grass at the front. Her hair was wind ruffled. Draco followed her, making a couple of students muffle screams. He set the bags down, and flopped down next to her. Hagrid came out a couple minutes later, the class waiting for him. A stag raced to the class just as Hagrid was about to begin. A growl formed in Draco's throat. He had a sudden urge to eat Potter. He shook his head. Where had that come from?

* * *

By the end of the class, Draco was dying to run. He had stood up and paced during the lesson, ignoring Hermione's adorable glare. As soon as the class had been dismissed, it was time for lunch. Hermione hopped on his back and he grabbed the bags. He tensed, getting ready to run. Hermione grabbed his fur tight. Hagrid watched, excited to see him run. He took off, easily passing the stag and horse walking side by side, causing many students to be flattened to the ground. He raced around the lake, before heading towards the castle. He slowed down to a fast trot as he walked through the crowded halls. They arrived in the banquet hall. Draco dropped her bag by the Griffindor Table before trotting over to the Slytherin table. He hopped up on a bench. He couldn't help but glance at Hermione's tiny hands picking at her food. It was really cute.

After lunch, they had charms. Draco couldn't see why he still had to go to classes. He couldn't even hold a wand. Besides, in his new form, he could hear what everyone was saying behind his back. As the duo walked past, he heard people whispering as if they'd been shouting.

"Who knew Malfoy had a patronus."

"What do you think it means?"

"He's a bloodthirsty death eater. What else would it mean?"

He did his best to tune it all out, but it was hard. It may not look like it, but those comments hurt him. He knew that not very many people liked him, but it still hurt. He stared straight ahead, not listening to it. He held his head up, and Hermione and Draco walked into charms together.

 **To be honest, I was not expecting this to turn into this at all. I thought this would be a one shot. It's probably going to be 5 to 8 chapters, but don't take my world for it. Yeah.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! Just so you know, I usually post one chapter a month. Sometimes two. Never more than that usually. Just thought you would want to know before you read this before it's complete. Here's the second chapter.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

Draco was miserable. Professor Flitwick had all the 8th years sit in a corner, so there was a giraffe, an otter, a huge wolf, a porcupine, a stag, and a rabbit stuck in a corner. Because only Hermione had opposable thumbs, he hadn't seen it fair for only her to participate, and made the entire 8th grade year sit out while the rest of the class took notes. Draco would have been glad, but the porcupine was sitting next to him, and he already had several needles stuck into his side. Hermione was perched on the giraffe's head, staring at the board with an intensity that only she could pull off, despite being an otter. Draco paused for a moment.

Hermione Granger was an otter.

...

Hermione Granger was an _otter_

...

He broke into wolfish laughter, scaring everyone in the room. Hermione looked at him weird. That just sent him into another fit. She was an otter. Why an otter? It took him several minutes, but he finally calmed down. Hermione scowled at him. Harry, Luna, and the rest of the class were looking at him as if he had grown another head. He just sat there with a wolfish grin on his face, making several shy away, including that damn porcupine.

* * *

After class, it was time for dinner. However, Draco had to go to the medical wing to get the porcupine quills pulled out of his flank. He was not very happy. Hermione came with him, writing on a piece of parchment that she needed to make sure that he didn't steal her book bag. Draco jogged to the medical wing, wincing when the needles shifted. They arrived in a couple of minutes, Hermione hopping on a bed as Madame Pomfrey kneeled beside him, with a muggle contraption that Draco thought were called 'pliers.' She muttered a spell that numbed his side and pulled them out quickly. She disinfected it with a spell and wrapped a bandage around it when it started bleeding.

"Alright. You can go now Mr. Malfoy. Just don't sit next to porcupines in the future." He huffed, and grabbed the book bags. Hermione hopped on his back.

'What am I? A pony?' Shaking away that train of thought, he jogged to the Great Hall.

* * *

After dinner, it was time for bed. Draco took Hermione and her book bag up to Gryffindor Tower, then set out for the Dungeons. He was there in no time. It was then that he realized his dilemma.

He can't speak.

How was he supposed to enter, when he couldn't say the password? Hermione probably had the same problem, but Gryffindors were much nicer than Slytherins. He set his book bag down and curled up in a ball. He'd had to wait. He didn't know how long, but he would. He puffed his fur out. It was cold in the Dungeons. He tucked his nose into his tail. Might as well get comfortable.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up with Filch's cat staring at him. He sprang to his feet so fast, he was surprised when he didn't get whiplash. He backed up. When Mrs. Norris was around, Filch was never far away. He looked around for a place to hide. Filch would offer no mercy. It didn't matter if he was stuck as a wolf for a week or not. When there was no place he could hide, he just flopped down and accepted his fate. It didn't take long for Filch's heavy footsteps to fill the hallway. They rang through the silence, reminding Draco of his impending doom.

"Find any-" Filch stopped when he saw the wolf. Draco tried to hide his face, making himself appear smaller. It didn't work. Not even a little bit. Draco stood up, ready to be led off. Filch didn't disappoint. He grabbed Draco by his ear and dragged him towards the Headmistress' office. Draco was yipping and yelping in pain the whole way. When they reached the giant eagles, Filch said the password and dragged Draco up the steps. He knocked on the door. A very tired and annoyed McGonagall answered the door. When she saw Draco, her gaze hardened and gestured for them to come in.

"What happened?" She asked, angry after having been woken up.

"Malfoy here was out of bed after curfew." McGonagall was glaring at Draco.

"And why was that, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco sighed and tried to talk, but only barked. He couldn't wait until Professor Sprout was done with the antidote. He looked around for something to communicate with, but settled with scratching it into the floor. He knew the Headmistress wouldn't like it, but he had no other choice.

 **CAN'T TALK COULDN'T OPEN PORTRAIT**

"Well, don't let it happen again. Breakfast will be ready in about 45 minutes, so you don't have to go back. Just stay out of trouble. And Filch, try to be a bit more lenient." Filch grumbled and he and Draco left the office. Draco knew where he'd go until breakfast was ready. He ran out to the lake and splashed in the shallows. He ran in circles and chased little rabbits and mice that hadn't gone back to their homes yet. He chased butterflies, and lost track of time. He chewed on sticks and played with Fang. He didn't even pay attention when students started going to classes. He was startled and somewhat relieved when he found he could talk to Fang. He offered some surprisingly insightful advice. It was only when he noticed that the sun was going down when he realized he was screwed.

* * *

Hermione had been worried all day. She had to have Harry carry her book bags on his antlers and she had to ride on his back. He wasn't very fast and it was hard to walk on stone floors in hooves. In other words, Hermione was scared for her life most of the time. Draco hadn't shown up at dinner or at any of their classes. When it was time for Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid at the end of the day, she realized where he was. He and Fang were in Hagrid's pumpkin patch barking at each other. They seemed to be communicating. Had he been there all day? Fang seemed to be doing most of the talking, with Draco nodding his head every once in a while. She was distracted throughout the entire class when they ran in circles and played together. He seemed to be acting more like a wolf, chasing rabbits around. She gasped when she realized something.

They were becoming more like animals everyday. And it had only been one day! How many characteristics would they have from their animals by the time the week was over? She kept grooming herself and she didn't know why. She had been dying to jump into the lake all day. Harry was getting more skittish and jumping at loud noises more. This was a big problem. If Professor Spout didn't get the cure in time, they would be stuck in their animal forms with the mind of an animal for the rest of their lives! A teacher would need to know right away. She jumped off Harry's head and twisted in mid air, catching Hagrid's attention. She grabbed her quill and a piece of parchment and quickly wrote.

 **WE'RE TURNING INTO OUR ANIMALS! DRACO IS CHASING RABBITS AND I'VE BEEN GROOMING ALL DAY! HELP!**

Hagrid seemed at a loss at what to do. He turned to Draco, who was currently chasing mice and other small creatures around. Harry seemed to shy away from the big man and Hermione had started to pick at her fur, getting some dirt out of it. He dismissed the class.

"All students are dismissed to dinner unless you are an 8th year! If you're an 8th year, come with me to Madame Pomfrey." Hagrid called to Fang, who trotted over. Draco followed somewhat hesitantly. He had an irrational feeling that he should get away and find a pack. He shook his head. He didn't have a pack! He noticed Luna in the form of a rabbit. He sniffed the air and got into a crouch, needing to chase her. He growled slightly and started creeping up on her. Luna stood on her hind legs and looked around, nose and ears twitching. When she glimpsed Malfoy, she darted.

Draco followed her at full speed. Hagrid saw Draco right before he caught up with Luna. He grabbed his crossbow and was about to fire, however reluctantly, when Draco ground to a full stop. The wolf seemed confused. He cocked his head, and looked at Luna, who was breathing hard, hidden behind Hermione. Draco put his head down and his tail between his legs and followed Hagrid, who still had his crossbow out. He didn't want another incident. When they arrived, Hagrid explained to Madame Pomfrey, who called all the teachers in for a conference. McGonagall put him under the full body bind.

"Petrificus Totalus!" He couldn't move, could barely breath. He went stiff as a board and fell on his side. His eyes were wide as Hagrid picked him up and placed him on one of the beds. The teachers talked for a full half an hour, before a verdict was reached.

"To St. Mungos it is."

* * *

It was decided that Hagrid and Professor McGonagall would go with them. Hagrid picked up Draco, Hermione hopped on his shoulder and several other students were sitting on Draco's side, including Luna. It was irritating his injuries from the stupid porcupine, who was sitting on his once again. Draco, was still in a full body bind and was going nuts. He needed to run and hunt, _anything!_ He couldn't even voice his frustrations, just lay there. McGonagall and a couple other teachers helped the remaining students and they were at St. Mungos in no time.

McGonagall had called ahead, so there was already a team of healers waiting for them. A healer grabbed Hermione, who started messing with the woman's hair. A healer directed Hagrid to a room where he set down Draco, before going to deliver the other students in his care to other healers. The man with Draco, introduced himself.

"Hello Draco. My name is Marc and I will be your healer. You're in a full body bind?" When Draco didn't move, Marc nodded and undid the enchantment. Draco sprung up and ran around the room, before hopping back on the bed. Marc laughed.

"Body binds are no fun. Can you talk at all?" Draco shook his head, lifting a paw up. Marc wrote some things down on a notepad.

"Alright. I'm going to look you over."

* * *

Meanwhile,

Hermione was taken away by her healer, watching Hagrid take Draco away. She stared at him until he was out of sight.

"Come on Hermione, let's go to your room." The Healer's name was Amanda and she was really nice. Hermione was perched on her head, grooming once again. She had been grooming for only about a minute when they arrived at the examination room.

"Ok Hermione, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Alright?" She nodded.

"Can you talk at all?" Hermione shook her head.

"About how many otter characteristics have you taken on?" Hermione held up 3 fingers.

"Ok. I'm going to talk to the other healers, and see how they're doing. Don't leave this room, Ok? I'll be back in a couple minutes." As soon as Amanda left the room, the quiet atmosphere of the hospital was shattered by screaming.

 **I know, I know. I'm evil. But there you go! Chapter two of Patronuses and Potions. This is very abnormal for me to update so quickly, so don't get used to it.**


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